Safavid Maternity - Lot 289

Safavid Maternity Polychrome pigments and gold on paper Iran, 17th century, Safavid period Page: 21 x 31.5 cm Miniature: 10 x 21.5 cm Depicting a woman with her child, this painting is a fine example of the pictorial style in vogue in 17th-century Safavid Iran. The most important painter of the time, Reza-i Abbassi, was greatly influenced by European pictorial conventions, and the taste for this style grew. In a landscape reminiscent of Flemish engravings and painting, a buxom, jeweled woman enjoys the pleasures of wine while her child plays with her hair. The depiction of motherhood itself is probably inspired by a European engraving of the Virgin and Child. It is presented in a luxurious copper frame decorated with alternating cartouches of polychrome-enameled plant motifs, with inclusions of red and green glass paste beads inscribed on a chased scroll background.